Is Umrah expensive in Iran?

 

Umrah Mufradah over the past 15 years has been accompanied by many ups and downs in cost and even in dispatch in Iran. From the beginning of year 94 (2015/16), when Umrah was halted and no Iranian caravan was dispatched to Umrah Mufradah by the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, about 6 million people, by paying various costs, had registered for pilgrimage to the House of God and had deposited sums in Bank Melli or Mellat. Umrah registration was no longer carried out from the early 90s, and people who had made deposits so that they could set out for the land of revelation in less than three years have for a decade been waiting to be honored with the visit to Mecca.

This year, after eight years, it was arranged that Umrah Mufradah would be held and that by the end of the current year 350 thousand people would go on pilgrimage to the House of God, in which regard success has not yet been achieved.

Of course the cost of Umrah Mufradah has still not been announced by the officials. But if we consider the price of Umrah as one thousand dollars as well, and even if 42-thousand-toman foreign exchange is allocated for this journey, the cost of Umrah will be more than 40 million tomans. Of course this amount is without counting the costs related to purchasing an open quota voucher and the costs related to travel for each traveler in the land of revelation. Which, counting all these items, on average a cost equivalent to 1,400 dollars will be calculated.

The aim of the study at hand, after examining the ups and downs of the cost of travel for Umrah Mufradah in Iran in recent years, is a comparison of the cost of travel for this spiritual journey among some Muslim-inhabited Asian and Arab countries with Iran, on the basis of two indicators: distance to the land of Saudi Arabia, and average annual income in some of these countries compared with the costs related to Umrah pilgrimage travel.

The ups and downs of the cost of Umrah Mufradah over the past 15 years in Iran

The cost of Umrah Mufradah over the past 15 years has gone through many ups and downs; such that in some years the cost of this journey has been accompanied by an increase of more than 20 percent. From the beginning of year 94 (2015/16), when Umrah was halted and no Iranian caravan was dispatched to Umrah Mufradah by the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, about 6 million people, by paying various costs, had registered for pilgrimage to the House of God and had deposited sums in Bank Melli or Mellat. Umrah registration was no longer carried out from the early 90s, and people who had made deposits so that they could set out for the land of revelation in less than three years have for a decade been waiting to be honored with the visit to Mecca.

From 15 years ago, many of those eager for the Umrah journey had registered with 500 to 800 thousand tomans in the hope of pilgrimage to the House of God. Perhaps at present these amounts are small and do not catch the eye, but in those years they constituted a considerable part of the cost of Umrah. Of course before that as well, many applicants, by depositing less than 100 thousand tomans, were in the queue to be honored with Umrah Mufradah.

Of course the cost of Umrah Mufradah has still not been announced by the officials. But if we consider the price of Umrah as one thousand dollars as well, and even if 42-thousand-toman foreign exchange is allocated for this journey, the cost of Umrah will be more than 40 million tomans; that is, people who had deposited in the bank, counting the deposit interest, must pay this amount.

The point is that the deposit and its interest in the bank may be less than 20 percent of the cost of the journey; whereas in those same years when the pilgrims had made deposits in the bank, perhaps this amount constituted half the cost of the journey.

In year 90 (2011/12), all at once the cost of Umrah, with the rise in the dollar rate, found considerable growth, and the average cost of Umrah, with a 50 percent increase, reached 1 million and 200 thousand tomans. In year 91 (2012/13), with growth of more than 50 percent, the cost of Umrah was announced on average as 2 million and 800 thousand tomans. On this basis, the cost of Umrah was from 2 million and 100 thousand tomans to 3 million and 400 thousand tomans, and these price differences depended on the status of accommodation and flights. Even so, in year 92 (2013/14) the cost of Umrah, with a decrease, was announced on average as 2 million and 250 thousand tomans, and the floor and ceiling of prices were also set at 1 million and 700 thousand tomans to 2 million and 800 thousand tomans. In year 93 (2014/15) the average cost of Umrah was about three million tomans, and the lowest and highest prices of the caravans from 1 million and 850 thousand tomans to three million and 700 thousand tomans were announced as differing in proportion to the time of dispatch, hotel quality and type of flight.

In year 94 (2015/16) as well, many pilgrims had registered for pilgrimage to the House of God and had prepared themselves for the Umrah journey. But after the assault on 2 Iranian adolescents at Jeddah airport, Umrah Mufradah was halted by order of the then Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, and from 24 Farvardin (March–April) of that year no pilgrim in the form of a caravan under the supervision of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization was dispatched from our country to Umrah. In year 94 (2015/16) the Mina disaster also occurred and Iran–Saudi relations went into darkness; until, with the execution of Sheikh Baqir Nimr, the leader of Saudi Arabia's Shia, Iran–Saudi relations were cut off entirely and the embassies were also closed.

Now too, when after eight years Umrah is to be resumed, given that the cost of this journey is calculated in foreign currency, the price of the Umrah journey, with the rise in the dollar rate relative to year 94 (2015/16), when we had the last dispatch of pilgrims to Umrah, will have considerable growth. In year 94 (2015/16) the free-market dollar price was about 3 thousand and 500 tomans, which now this amount has reached more than 50 thousand tomans.

Comparison of the costs of Umrah Mufradah pilgrimage in Asian countries with regard to the average annual income indicator

Every year millions of the world's Muslims travel to Mecca and Medina for the spiritual Umrah Mufradah journey, but travel to Saudi Arabia, including flights, hotel and stay, is very heavy for the Muslims of some countries. Islamic governments usually offer travel packages at a fixed price to people so that even people with low income have the opportunity to be present at Hajj.

For the Muslims of Malaysia, Hajj al-Tamattu or the Umrah Mufradah journey is a relatively cheap journey; because the average income of the people of this country is much higher than the cost of Hajj or Umrah Mufradah travel, but on the other side the people of a country such as Bangladesh must save money for several years in order to be able to afford the costs of Hajj or Umrah travel.

In Egypt as well, the cost of Umrah Mufradah pilgrimage travel is half of annual income; each of the Egyptian citizens must spend on average 650 to 2,000 dollars on Umrah pilgrimage travel, while their average income in one year is close to 4,500 dollars. In Malaysia the cost of Umrah Mufradah travel is between 1,500 and 4,500 thousand dollars and average annual income is more than 9 thousand dollars, and Umrah pilgrimage travel compared with the other countries under examination is more suitable for the people of this country.

On the basis of information presented by the World Bank, in Bangladesh individuals' average annual income is a little more than 1,000 dollars, but the cost of Hajj goes beyond the 1,400-dollar threshold, and in the same way the Muslims of India as well, in order to be honored with the spiritual Umrah journey, must also spend about 4,000 to 6,000 dollars, while their average income in one year is respectively less and more than 2 thousand dollars. In Pakistan as well, travel to Umrah almost counts as an expensive journey.

In Iran as well, given average annual income, that is a figure of about 3,324 dollars, the amount of 1,427 dollars per person in order to be honored with Umrah Mufradah pilgrimage travel, given that this amount is without considering the costs that each person will have in the destination country, is a heavy cost. Most Iranian households, given the low average monthly income and very high inflation in the country, will not be able to afford the expenses of such a journey.

Comparison of the cost of Umrah pilgrimage travel among some Muslim-inhabited Asian and Arab countries with regard to the distance indicator

Various factors, including the rise in prices especially the price of foodstuffs, the increase in the cost of mandatory services, the increase in value-added tax in Saudi Arabia (from 5 percent to 15 percent), and also the rise in airplane ticket prices in the world, have caused the cost of performing the Hajj journey this year to be higher than in other years.

In the tables below, the cost of travel for Umrah Mufradah pilgrimage among some Arab and Asian countries has been compared with regard to the distance indicator, that is the degree of farness and nearness to Saudi Arabia, which is certainly determining in the cost related to obtaining an airplane ticket for travel to Saudi Arabia.

As is observed in the table above, the costs related to Umrah Mufradah pilgrimage travel among Muslim-inhabited countries that have the shortest air distance from Saudi Arabia have been shown; the average costs of Umrah pilgrimage travel among these countries, that is countries that are less than a thousand kilometers from Saudi Arabia, is about 890–2,400 dollars.

Also the cost of a round-trip airplane ticket from the origin of the capitals of the above countries to Medina and from Medina to the capital of each of the countries present has been compared with one another (the price of the round-trip airplane ticket in each of the countries has been stated on the basis of the lowest proposed price); on the basis of the report of the figures present in the table it appears that the spatial-distance indicator of each of the countries to Saudi Arabia has not had an effect in determining the amount of the airplane ticket. And other indicators influence the price of the one-way and round-trip ticket from each of the countries to the destination country. The average airplane-ticket cost among these countries lies in the range of 225–370 dollars.

Also information related to the cost of stay together with hotel for each of the countries has been reported separately; on the basis of this report it appears that the highest average price relates to the country of Eqamat with a cost of $3,500–$8,500 and the lowest price range relates to the country of Qatar with a cost of $950–$3,500.

In the table above, the cost of travel for Hajj to Umrah Mufradah has been compared among countries that from the point of view of the distance indicator are located in the range of one thousand to three thousand kilometers from Saudi Arabia. The country of Iran has also been placed in the list of these countries. As is observed in the table above; the average cost of travel for Umrah pilgrimage in the list of these countries is in the range of 651–6,131 dollars. Iran, with a cost of 1,427 dollars, among the countries of the list above, it appears, in the costs related to Umrah pilgrimage travel does not have a stark difference with the other countries that from the point of view of distance have been placed on a comparable scale. In this among, the cost of a round-trip airplane ticket in the country of Iran, with the amount of $735, compared with other countries that in terms of distance have been placed at a distance of over 2,000 kilometers relative to Saudi Arabia, compared with countries such as Afghanistan and Pakistan has been placed in a similar price range, and this is while the ticket price in countries such as India and Turkey compared with Iran to the destination of Saudi Arabia is more suitable. In this among, the country of Libya with $1,248 has accounted for the highest cost.

Also the cost of a round-trip airplane ticket has been reported separately for each of these countries on the basis of the lowest proposed price. The report present in this table also confirms that the distance indicator to Saudi Arabia has not been determining of the round-trip ticket price from the above countries, and other indicators are determining of the cost related to the airplane ticket. For example, in countries where a larger number of Muslims live, certainly the number of applicants to be honored with this spiritual journey will be greater, and naturally more competition will take shape among airline companies in order to attract more applicants and announce lower costs.

In this among, the highest cost related to the airplane ticket relates to the country of Libya with a price of $1,248 and the lowest of it relates to the country of Egypt with a price of $312.

Also the highest cost related to ticket and stay and tax relates to the country of Afghanistan with the figure $4,020–$8,700 and the lowest relates to the countries of Lebanon and Egypt with the figure $2,300–$7,000.

In the table above, the costs of travel for Umrah pilgrimage among Muslim-inhabited countries have been displayed that have more than four thousand kilometers of air distance from Saudi Arabia. The cost of Hajj travel among these countries on average is between 800–4,300 dollars.

In the manner of the previous tables, the costs obtained for the cost of a round trip to Medina from various destinations that have more than four thousand kilometers of distance from Saudi Arabia have been reported separately by country. The results obtained from the table above also show that the distance indicator, in comparison with the countries that are present in this table, has not had a meaningful effect on the cost of the airplane ticket, and in determining the ticket cost other indicators are certainly also involved.

Of course this point is worth mentioning, that when comparing this table with the table of countries that have the shortest air distance from Saudi Arabia or have been placed in the range of one thousand to three thousand kilometers, one can observe the difference in airplane-ticket prices and the changing increasing trend of ticket costs.

Also the highest costs related to stay and airplane ticket among countries that in terms of the distance indicator have been placed above four thousand kilometers from Saudi Arabia relate to the country of Malaysia with the amount $4,100–$8,750 and the lowest cost relates to the country of Nigeria with the amount $2,800–$7,500.

 

 

Conclusion

In summing up one can explain it thus, that; in comparing the costs of Umrah Mufradah pilgrimage of Iran with other Muslim-inhabited Asian and Arab countries, both countries that in terms of the distance indicator have a shorter distance than Iran to Saudi Arabia, and countries that in terms of this indicator have a shorter distance, and even the third group of countries, that is, countries that in terms of distance compared with the country of Iran have been placed at an approximate similar range from Saudi Arabia, Iran in comparison with all of these countries, with a cost of 1,427 dollars, has not accounted for a stark difference. And in terms of cost it has been placed on the average line of the other countries. But the point that is worthy of attention, and has also been addressed in this note, is the amount of the cost of travel to Umrah Mufradah per person given the average annual income of the people of Iran. At present the average annual income of the people of Iran is a figure of about 3,324 dollars. It is obvious that given the economic conditions in Iran, that is the inflation situation in Iranian society and the low-income situation of Iranian households, meeting such a cost in order to be honored with the spiritual Umrah journey will be hard for the majority of Iranian families.

Also in a part of this report the cost related to the round-trip airplane ticket between the country of Iran in comparison with other countries that have been placed at a distance of two thousand to three thousand kilometers from Saudi Arabia has been reported. The result of this comparison also shows: the country of Iran, with a ticket cost of $735, equals countries such as Afghanistan and Pakistan, but countries such as Turkey and India, despite an approximately identical distance from Saudi Arabia compared with Iran, have accounted for more suitable prices. In this among, the country of Libya with the amount $1,248 has accounted for the highest ticket cost.